Last year, there was much publicity to duplicate the successes of the Anbar province in Afghanistan. In Anbar, Iraq, the Sunnis were recruited to fight the Al-Qaeda, and many think this was a successful model. The duplicators forgot that the “tribes” of Iraq are totally different than the tribes of Afghanistan.  The Sunnis of Iraq, thrown out of power were eager to get back some power. The cahnces of the Sunnis of Anbar becoming Ameircan loyalists is slim. The US has trained more than 500,000 Iraqi solidiers, and many defected after finishing their training and left with their arms.

In Afghanistan, there is a huge hostility to foreign troops. The defections after training were sure to happen. The battle of Maiwind in 1840 is a great exmaple when Ayub Khan gave the British their worst defeat in the empire at the time. This defeat among others eventually led to the “back to the Indus” policy, and the abandonment of Afghanistan. Psychologically Britian has never recnciled itself of the defeats in Iraq and Afghansitan. Is this the reason they keep coming back?

Recent reports suggest that Baitullah Mehsud has been sidelined in Swat. Was Baitullah Mehsud a British-Indian turn-coat who has been getting arms from NATO forces? The Pakistani establishment thinks so. The Pakistani representative to the UN in a frank letter written to the New York Times blames the trouble in Pakistan on a conspiracy. He thus confirmed reports from China and Iran.

Pakistan is a majorNon-Nato Ally (MNNA). It has a right to look at satellite pictures.

There are news items based on analyst reports which are questioning the British story on training so called Anti-Taliban. This news supposedly sent Mr. Hamid Karzai into a tizzy conniption fit. Karzai reacted by expelling a couple of diplomats and then refused to allow the UN czar to Kabul.

BRITAIN SPEAKS WITH FORKED TONGUE:  NATO, America and Britian has been criticizing Pakistan for the peace deals it has made on its own territory with its own citizens. Now we see British and NATO deals with the Taliban all over Afghanistan. Britain recently handed over Musa Qila to the Tliban. How many more saboteur training camps does Britain and NATO have to destabilize Pakistan? Did America know about this. When did they know? Why was intelligence not shared with Pakistan?

Who is playing a double game in Afghanistan and Pakistan? President Musharraf is constantly blamed by the Neocons in the UK and US that he has been playing a double game….fighting Al-Quaida while supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai and the Northern Alliance blame Pakistan from the highest peaks of the Hindu Kush and shouts it to anyone who has a microphone. 

However a more sinister scheme is emerging out of the Helmund training camp fiasco.

Mr. Karzai denied knowledge of the British training the Taliban in Helmund. Some claim that the public spat between Mr. Karzai and the British is a cover up the training program which was discovered by the ISI.

Amazingly the multiple satellites and drones monitoring every inch of the Pakistani-Afghan border could not identify the camps in Helmund. How long before other such sabotage camps are discovered? How many more are there?

PAKISTANI REACTION TO BRITISH ACTS OF SABOTAGE: Captured elements in the Red Mosque and in Swat and Waziristan and Rawalpindi pointed the Pakistani authorities to the British forces training the Taliban. The ISI discovered the British moves and informed Mr. Karzai. Mr. Karzai was furious. He expelled British officers and did not allow the new UN representative to come to Afghanistan.

The Pakistan army annihilated the “Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan” in Swat and expediting the “hearts and minds” campaign. Thrown out of Swat, Baitullah Mehsud offered a cease fire, which was eventually accepted.

SABOTAGING THE PEACE DEALS:

Every time there is a peace deal. A drone bombs a village and unknown saboteurs inflame the situation by destroying the cease fire. A pinch of powder on smoldering coals is all that it takes. A peace deal has been signed in Waziristan. After a horrible year, we have had 4 days of a relative “peace”. How long before a drone sabotages it? We are sure, as soon as the term “peace deal” was heard by the powers to be, the pressure must have started mounting on Islamabad to ditch the deal.

Mulla Umar leads the Afghan “Taliban” and Baitullah Mehsud leads the break away splinter group called ”Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan” led by . Mullah Umar the Afghan Taliban want to concetrate on fighting occupation forces in Afghanistan. The “Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan” with foreign backing challenged the Pakistan state. Foreign links connected to the “Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan”were discovered by the Pakistani ISI.

Another Peace deal between Pakistanis! How long before another drone sabotages peace?

NATO lessons: 1880 UK deafeat at Maiwand Afghanistan. Trained sabteurs may defect. Sabotaging peace may create blowback

On inadequate US Aid to Pakistan
Where is Osama Bin Laden
Where are the Pakistani nukes?

History of British defeats in Afghanistan

The Game for Afghanistan

B y F a r h a d A z a d September 23, 2001

Recently, Afghanistan has come to the attention of the world. The name”Afghanistan” is heard everywhere, yet very little is known about the nation that rests in theheart of Asia. I was born in Afghanistan and was fortunate to enjoy a few years of its peace in the mid1970s. What do I remember of Afghanistan? I remember our home in Kabul, the capital. Iremember a modern society with roads, schools and all that a modern civilization has to offer. I remember rich arts and the wonderful music playing on the radio. Happiness. Joy. Love. All that changed quickly. I also remember the first Soviet tanks rolling into Kabul on a cold December morning in 1979. I remember the gray-eyed teenage Soviet soldiers in the streets with fear. We were all scared. It was an uneasy time. War. Destruction. Death. Due to the turmoil and bloodshed, my family and I decided to leave Afghanistan. We trekked for five days and five nights and made our way out of the country. As a child, you haveconfidence in your parents and those older than you. You never expect them to be scared.But I saw awful fright in the eyes of my parents and older sisters. Their fearful eyes duringour journey still haunt me today.In the 1980s America was accepting thousands of Afghan refugees. We were happy to make it to America where two of my uncles lived and worked; they had come to the study in theearly 1970s, but could not return because of the war. Little did we know that our family along with the thousands of other Afghan families in the US and around the world was merestatistics of the Cold War- just numbers.The war, dubbed the “Afghan-Soviet War” continued with the Soviets backing an Afghancommunist regime and the US backing the Mujahideen or anti-Soviet “freedom fighters”.
——————————————————————————–
Page 2
T h e G a m e f o r A f g h a n i s t a n | B y F a r h a d A z a d© A f t a a b z a d P u b l i c a t i o n s2

Today we have another “war” upon Afghanistan. And why is Afghanistan involved yet again? Yes, we know the basics: Taliban. Bin Ladin. Terrorism. Before I address these questions, we need to step back into time. It is noted that history isthe best teacher and guide. So, lets see where the roots of these conflicts rest.History of the Great Game:Let me take you back to the early 1800s where the “Great Game” begins. Czarist Russia wanted to expand its borders south into Central Asia and reach what Peter the Great called, “the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.” However, the “warm waters” werecontrolled and ruled by British India. And the British would defend her crown jewel, India, atany cost. In the center of these two nations was the kingdom of Afghanistan. Stage 1 of the “Great Game”: Siege of Herat 1837 – 1838The first act of European intervention in Afghanistan was Russia’s plan to attack the western Afghan city of Herat, named “The Gateway to India.” Russia persuaded the Qajar Shah ofPersia (Iran) to attack the city with the aid of Russian soldiers. To match the move, Britain sent an agent to help the Afghans defend the Herat. The city was defended, and the British, determined to keep Persia away, landed a fleet of ships in thePersian Gulf to show Persia she should think twice before attacking Afghan soil. Stage 2 of the “Great Game”: 1stAfghan-Anglo War 1839 – 1842Britain, still determined to defend her Indian colony, invaded Afghanistan in 1839 becauseshe felt the king, Amir Dost Mohammad, was siding with the Russians. The British invadedand installed a puppet king. The puppet king and British occupation did not last. Britain was defeated. The former kingwas replaced, and Afghanistan was now under indirect British influence.Stage 3 of the “Great Game”: 2ndAfghan-Anglo War 1878 – 1880Again, Britain invaded Afghanistan for the same reasons as before; the new king, Amir SherAli, was thought to have favored the Russians. This time Britain attempted to breakAfghanistan into three parts: The north to Russia, the west to Persia and the south to British
——————————————————————————–
Page 3
T h e G a m e f o r A f g h a n i s t a n | B y F a r h a d A z a d© A f t a a b z a d P u b l i c a t i o n s3

India. However, this plan was not executed because the British were defeated again-for the 2ndtime. A few years later, Czarist Russia, signed with Britain to end Russian involvement inAfghanistan’s affairs. Thus, the British had complete influence of the affairs of Afghanistan. Stage 4 of the “Great Game”: 3rdAfghan-Anglo War 1919This was a brief war, lasting a few months. But it was the war of independence forAfghanistan. The British were defeated again- for the 3rdtime. Afghanistan was grantedindependence, which meant control of her foreign affairs. The years, which followed held rapid to moderate modernization of Afghanistan. Despite this, Afghanistan was still deeply involved in the Great Game. Stage 5 of the “Great Game”: Communism vs. The West or “The Free World”This time, Afghanistan was the buffer state. Iran and Pakistan were friends and allies of theUS and the West. Afghanistan tried to play the card of neutrality. Yet, she had to also perform a balancing act between receiving support and aid from the Soviet Union and the US. On the other hand, the US did not believe Afghanistan to be an asset. When Nixon visited Afghanistan in the 1950s, he reported that Afghanistan was the type of country that the UScould live without.As a result, Afghanistan fell in the hands of the Soviets. The USSR granted money and aid to train the Afghan army. This Soviet influence infiltrated the army officer corps, which began to show signs of communist support. In the 1960s, Afghanistan experienced a light form of democracy, dubbed Democracy-e-nowor “New Democracy”; this marked the constitutional monarchy period. Because of the lack of democratic structure and opportunities for the growing educatedmiddle class, communism began to take form. As a result, underground communist partiesand other political groups became active.These events were a catalyst to the final take-over of the communist government in the late1970s, which invited Russia to invade Afghanistan.
——————————————————————————–
Page 4
T h e G a m e f o r A f g h a n i s t a n | B y F a r h a d A z a d© A f t a a b z a d P u b l i c a t i o n s4

Stage 6 of the “Great Game”: Afghan – Soviet War 1979 – 1989 The Soviet invasion sparked the interest of US affairs in Afghanistan. The US changed itspolicy and sent billions of dollars to Afghanistan via Pakistan’s military intelligent service, the ISI. This time it was not to help build roads, schools or dams. It was cold cash for military aid. The US supported and armed the anti-Soviet “freedom fighters” or Mujahideen. The warcaused death, destruction and disintegration of the Afghan nation. However, the Soviet Union eventually received a bloody nose smeared with the death of twomillion Afghans. With the defeat of the Soviet Union, there was the consequent end tocommunism and the break down of the Iron Curtain. Once the USSR left, America’s interest in Afghanistan also faded. Stage 7 of the “Great Game”: The War for OilThe 1990s were a violent and unstable time for Afghanistan and its people. According tosome sources this period was more uncertain than the Afghan – Soviet War: the CIA trainedMujahideen were now fighting for power amongst themselves. This civil war destroyed cities, roads and every form of civil society. The number-one funded CIA man, Hekmatyar and his followers, rocked the city of Kabul to rubble. Women were raped. Men were tortured. Children were killed. Homes were looted.The civil war was additionally fueled by Iran and America’s allies: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; each nation supporting its own feuding faction inside Afghanistan.Due to this type of mayhem, terrorist camps were flourishing and encouraged by individuals such as Osma bin Ladin. To combat the Civil War, and restore order, a new breed of fundamentalists came into thepicture. This group was trained in madrassas or fundamentalist religious schools insidePakistan. Pakistan’s ISI trained and aided the new movement, which became known as the”Taliban”.
——————————————————————————–
Page 5
T h e G a m e f o r A f g h a n i s t a n | B y F a r h a d A z a d© A f t a a b z a d P u b l i c a t i o n s5

The Taliban were to pacify Afghanistan, open roads for trade in the new former SovietRepublics and more importantly reach the rich oil fields of Turkmenistan, not for the benefit of Afghanistan, but for Pakistan and various international oil companies. Along with pacifying the country, they resurrected the stone age through their fundamentalist regime: women are not allowed outside the home; music, film, sports, books and all otherforms of entertainment, media and self expression are not allowed; men are forced to growbeards. In the beginning, the US government supported the Taliban. American’s friend and ally,Pakistan promoted and financed them. The US government used the oil company UNOCALas a form of diplomats to the Taliban. It was not until lobbying from Western feminist groups about Afghan women’s human rightsthat the US backed away from the Taliban regime. But Pakistan was given a free hand to do what it pleased with the Taliban, the affairs of Afghanistan and the fate of the Afghan people.The US government changed its policy further with the Taliban for harboring the terroristOsma bin Ladin. Sanctions were slapped on Afghanistan. The Taliban did not suffer but theAfghan people did.In retaliation for the destruction of the US embassies in eastern Africa in 1998, the US firedrockets in Afghanistan on old CIA built military camps, which were used during the Afghan -Soviet War. Again Pakistan, America’s friend and ally, was given full rights to do what she wished withAfghanistan. Stage 8 of the “Great Game”: The War Against Terrorism We find Afghanistan in the middle of war and destruction-again. Afghans in the SF Bay Area, the largest community of Afghans in the US, agree that binLadin and his followers need to be removed from Afghanistan, and a government by thepeople, for the people should be formed to put an end to the hell inside their homeland.
——————————————————————————–
Page 6
T h e G a m e f o r A f g h a n i s t a n | B y F a r h a d A z a d© A f t a a b z a d P u b l i c a t i o n s6

The SF Afghans also express the pain and agony at what America experienced on September 11th. Afghans felt it more keenly because the same types of events have unfolded in Afghanistan for the past 20 years. Afghans have been terrorized: over two million peoplehave died, and thousands are dying each day because of war, starvation, and drought and by a barbaric regime. Afghans know suffering. And now America is a direct player in the Great Game. America wants to put an end to terrorism, and Afghanistan is the place to start. But whenAmerica does take action and removes the virus of terrorism, will America turn its back on the Afghan people, again? Will America allow her allies such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other nations like Iran to take a free hand and do what they wish with Afghanistan and its people?Will Afghanistan be a distant land again? And will Afghans remain a voiceless people, whose cries for help are never heard? When will this “Great Game” end? Farhad Azad is the publisher of the on-line Afghan, culture, arts publication afghanmagazine.com. He is also co-editor of an Afghan literary anthology soon to be published. Contact information: e-mail: farhad@afghanmagazine.com

Where is Leadership of the PPP? Why is it behaving like Nero. Stop the arson and the carnage. Ask for a national Day of prayer and reconciliation

Open Letter to Mr. 10% Asif Zardari. Show some leadership

Open Letter to Mr. Bilawal Bhutto

The CIA connection—Benazir Bhutto assassination was pre-planned, the Zia model with a twist

Benzir Bhuttos revenge from the grave: Annointing a despised and corrupt politician Mr. 10% as her successor

Open letter to Mr. Zardari

The 4th Bhutto assassination is a message to the USA. Hands Off Pakistan

Here we go again! Another Indian prophecy of doom. The first one was in 1947

We would like to refer our readers to the an article on “Toppling the US military” that is worth its weight in gold. Search for it on this site. See: “Kissinger threatened Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto”